Writing Articles To Build Your Online Presence - A Beginners Guide

One of the most effective (and free!) ways to get noticed on the web is to write articles. Even if you have no writing experience, it is easier than you may think, even fun. You can write an article on just about anything you want and choose how you want to publish it.

The best way to start is to write about a subject you understand thoroughly, such as the subject of your ezine if you have one.

Use a search engine to research what you want to write about, and browse some online discussion forums which relate to your subject to gain additional knowledge.

There are article-writing ebooks and other literature available on the web that can provide you with useful advice if you are intimidated to write your first article. Just do some web searches to see what you can find. Some of the literature is free, some isn't.

As you conduct your research, begin writing a rough draft immediately while ideas are still fresh in your mind. You can revise, edit and rearrange later. Your article doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it is presentable and easily readable.

Keep your lines formatted to about 60 characters. The 'Lucida Console' font uses the same amount of space for each character, so you could use it then set your margins accordingly in your word processor program.

I use Notepad which uses Lucida Console by default. I turn off word-wrap and set the window size to where I want it and hit 'enter' as my text fills a line. You may come up with a method that works better for you.

When your article is finished, you'll need to add what is called a "resource box" at the end. This is where you place a few lines which include your name, as well as anything you'd like to offer your readers.

You should make your resource box stand out by placing a line of asterisks or hyphens above and below it, for example:

*********************************************************
Copyright ? 2005 [your name]
[email address if you wish]
[several lines to advertise your website, ezine, offer
freebies, etc]
*********************************************************

When you feel comfortable with your article and ready to publish, you can choose from several different options available to you. You can use all if you so choose:

* Article Directories
* Ezines
* Article Announcement Lists

Article directories are websites that you can submit your article to. They will review it then publish it on their site, making your name and links in your resource box available to all who are interested in the information you provide.

You get an added benefit of having your website's search engine ranking increase as your link is placed in more and more article directories! It all depends on how much time you want to spend submitting to the hundreds of available directories on the web.

You can also browse ezine directories, searching for ezines relating to your article's subject. Look for those which indicate they accept article submissions.

Send a polite email to the publisher asking to submit your article, and include the article. If you prefer, send it as an attachment.

There are also article announcement lists which you can submit your article to. These can be found by doing a web search for 'article announcement lists'. You have to subscribe to the list before you can post to it.

When posting to an announcement list, include in your email your rules for reprinting your article, such as allowing it to only be reprinted if no changes are made and only as long as your resource box is included. These rules are up to you, ultimately.

You can also use submission websites or software such as EzineAnnouncer which are designed to submit your article to a large number of places, cutting down on time you have to spend doing it manually. These programs come with a price, so look them up and decide for yourself if they are worth it to you.

Read this article again, and formulate a plan based on the advice given. The methods outlined above will get you well on your way to boosting your online presence, and you will be surprised by how effective they are.

Copyright 2005 Jeremy Hershberger

Jeremy Hershberger is a computer specialist, Internet marketer, and webmaster of his "Plug-In Profit Site". For free training and essential advice on building and enhancing an online business, subscribe to his Internet marketing newsletter here: http://www.online-income-solutions.com

Priorities: Dont Dry Your Dishes

Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could you just let the water evaporate? If you spend just 5 minutes per meal drying dishes, that equals a quarter of an hour per day, or 91 hours each year.

Imagine spending almost four days in a row standing at the sink drying dishes. No eating. No sleeping. No bathroom breaks. Just drying dishes for four days straight.

Now imagine doing something else with that time. Savoring the fresh air. Going on a camping trip. Playing with your children. Volunteering at the food bank. Upgrading your career skills. You can do a lot in four days.

Or you can dry dishes.

Some chores we have to do (like washing the dishes). But some are optional. You are given a short time to live. How you spend that time is your choice.

This inspiration was first published in A Daily Dose of Happiness: ( http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html ), to which one subscriber commented:

"Another thought is, do dishes, laundry, sweeping, dusting, and other chores as a family. The best conversations I ever had with my parents, grandparents, and other family members were when we were doing dishes or laundry, etc. TOGETHER!"

To that, I had to laugh...and respond: "Indeed, folding laundry is what passes for going on a date in our house!"

About The Author

David Leonhardt is author of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/059517826X?v=glance

Get the Best Daily Doses in a free ebook: http://www.thehappyguy.com/l/daily-motivation-inspiration.php

Info@thehappyguy.com

What to Do if All Screensavers Fun is Grayed Out?

Finally, you have some time to personalize your desktop with an interesting screensaver. But wait... What's that? Why in the world the system prevents you from doing that? The screensaver controls are grayed out or, even worse, the whole Screensaver tab is missing from Display Properties. Don't panic! This article will help you change things for the better.

I've found that people who use Windows 2000/XP often can't enjoy screensavers because their system is configured in a way that prevents them from doing that.

Unless you are very experienced in administrating Windows, you may stuck with the problem. If you ever found yourself or your friend in a situation like this, add this article to your arsenal of screensaver tips.

Most of the time people encounter the problem with office computers. I should warn you, though, that some companies have a strict screensaver policy. Usually they allow only certain or no screensavers at all to be used on office computers.

If you are not sure how your company treats screensavers, I recommend you to consult your system administrator before applying any of the changes described below to your system.

So why can screensavers be inaccessible on your system?

As you know, Windows 2000 and Windows XP had many improvements over Windows 95/98 and Windows Me that made lives of many users easier and more comfortable.

But that's not all that made these operating systems so popular. Their developers also haven't forgotten about people who are responsible for administrative tasks when it comes to computers shared by different users and large computer networks.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP introduced a lot of new features needed specifically for their administration. Controlling/disabling screensavers was among them.

No matter whether it was their intention or an accident, your system administrator or the person who configured your PC could use this feature to your disadvantage. Now you'll have to use it once again and regain control over screensavers.

Here's what you should do:

Click Start and then click Run...

Type "gpedit.msc" and press Enter.

A window will open with a tree on its left. Expand the User Configuration node, then expand Control Panel and click Display.

Now look at the policies in the list to the right. Make sure that the policies starting from Hide Screen Saver Tab and ending with Screen Saver Timeout all have their state set to Not Configured.

If any of them has a different state, double click the line with the policy, select Not Configured and click OK.

Now close the Group Policy window.

Now you can open Display Properties and see whether screensavers are back. If they aren't, step back and check if you carefully followed all the steps described above.

Note that you can see a window saying you don't have permission to access Group Policy window when doing the step 2. That will happen if you are working under a restricted user account. You will have to log under an account with Administrator's rights or contact your system administrator.

With a little creativity, you can use the information in this article to prevent your kids and other unauthorized users from messing with your screensavers. The procedure is basically the same. The only difference is that you should specify meaningful values for screensaver related items instead of Not Configured.

About The Author

Roman Kramar is a software developer who enjoys writing screensavers as his time permits. Visit his site at http://www.elasticsystems.com/ to find out more about screensavers and his work. webmaster@elasticsystems.com

All Knowledge and Wisdom Comes Direct From God

These next set of verses are the heart and soul of this entire subject matter. All of these verses are telling us that all knowledge and all wisdom come direct from God and Jesus. The first verse will tell you that all the "treasures" of wisdom and knowledge are "hidden" in God the Father and Jesus Christ. Notice that God is comparing knowledge and wisdom with "treasures" and that this treasure is hidden within Himself.

This means that God and Jesus are the source of all Godly knowledge, and we have to first seek after the source in order to get this knowledge to be released to us. Here are some of the most profound verses in all of Scripture showing us that not only is God the source of all Godly knowledge and wisdom - but that He wants to release this knowledge to us!

"... both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2)

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ... For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33,36)

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright ..." (Proverbs 2:6)

Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him." (Daniel 2:20)

"Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven - what can you do? Deeper than Sheol - what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea." (Job 11:7)

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (Jeremiah 33:3)

"Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." (Matthew 13:11)

"... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe ..." (Ephesians 1:17)

"Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

"But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets." (Daniel 2:28)

"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31)

All of these verses are telling us that all things - including all knowledge and all wisdom comes direct from God the Father. These verses are showing us that not only is God the source of all knowledge and wisdom - but that He wants to release this knowledge to us. He wants to show and reveal great and mighty things to us. He wants to tell us deep and secret things that the average person will not have access to.

Not only will God give you His knowledge - but He will make sure to give you the understanding of that knowledge and the wisdom to be able to use it! All of this can be given to you free of charge. All you have to do is be willing to seek after it, and seek to work with this knowledge to fully understand it and how it can apply to different parts of your life.

The last verse is Jesus telling us that if we will "abide in His word" - that we will then have the ability to know the truth and that the truth will be able to make us free. In other words - if you are willing to abide in the Bible, which is His Word, and seek to understand what you are reading - then you will be fully loaded with an incredible amount of truth covering a wide variety of topics and issues in your life. And once you have a lot of truth on a lot of different areas of your life - then that truth will help set and make you free because you will no longer be bound up with wrong thinking!

However, notice that Jesus says we have to "abide" in His Word in order to be able to get these truths worked into us. Abiding means that you are willing to spend a lot of regular quality time in reading the Bible for yourself and seeking to understand and implement these truths in your everyday walk with Him.

All of the above verses are giving us an incredible revelation in that God and Jesus are only too anxious to release Their knowledge to us if we are willing to do our part by seeking after it.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their website is a resource of Bible commentary and teaching. They currently have over 100 Bible articles. All free of charge.
The article was an excerpt from Michael's E-book titled, Seeking After the Knowledge of God You can go to their site and download the book free of charge. ? 2005 by Michael Bradley. All Rights Reserved.

Tips on Boosting Your Self-Confidence

How you feel about yourself truly does affect your interaction with others.

It truly saddens me when I hear women using negative talk when referring to themselves. We aren't born with self confidence but it is something that we gain throughout our lives. There are many things that we encounter over the years to help build or break that confidence but ultimately it is up to us to maintain our own self-confidence. Those who lack self-confidence are truly losing out on opportunities for happiness, fun, growth and often love.

Here are just a few tips that anyone can use to help build self-confidence

• Start off each morning and end each day with a positive statement or thought. Create your own mantra. (i.e: "I am intelligent", "I will have a positive day", "I will succeed".)
• Get to know the TRUE you and accept yourself. The more you accept your true self the more others will do the same.
• Make a list of all your positive characteristics and achievements. Keep adding to this list as time goes on and be sure to keep your list in a place where you can access it and read it at will.
• Choose your words/thoughts carefully: Take time to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. If you are faced with a challenging task -- instead of saying something like: "I will never get this done on time" try to rephrase that and say something like: "When I finish this task I will treat myself to something nice" or "This may be challenging but I can do this".
• Take what you are good at and enhance it. Let others know about it! Hold you head up high and proud and know you have a special gift inside of you.

Building up self-confidence takes time and commitment but it is well worth it. You will soon find yourself embracing yourself and giving off a very positive energy that will surely come back to you.

Aurelia Williams is the mom of four busy children, a Personal Life Coach and the owner of Real Life Solutions, which is an informational site that also offers products, articles and a great newsletter. You can also hear Aurelia daily on the WAHM Talk Radio show, she is the Resident Life Coach.

The Liquid Vitamin Mineral Approach

Liquid vitamin mineral

The liquid vitamin mineral dietary supplement is a must have for maximum vitality and health. In today's fast food environment most of us do not get the proper balance of food for the necessary for optimal health Unfortunately the body only absorbs 10 to 20 percent of the nutrients found in traditional pills and capsules. Thus the case for the liquid vitamin mineral.

Some simple research will that a deficiency in nutrients can cause us suffering and may even shorten our lives. Can you even begin to imagine what this maybe doing to our children and grandchildren as their bodies and minds are trying to develop? Crazy behavior, inattentiveness, bad grades, ancy-pants, hyper? Humm...?

After snooping around a little we also learned that four to five crop rotations were planted each year on a single plot of land, intense farming practices have depleted vital nutrients from the soil. 99% of us are deficient in minerals...The alarming fact is that foods, fruits, vegetables, and grains now being raised on millions of acres of land no longer contain enough certain needed minerals and are starving us, no matter how much of them we eat.

Take a peek at the U.S. Senate Document 264 and the 1992 Earth Summit Report support these findings and suggest that 99 percent of Americans are mineral deficient.

We have a serious malnutrition problem here in the USA but its not for the lack of food. Thus the obvious need for the liquid vitamin mineral.

Review the nutritional deficiencies chart and learn about the Senate document 264, earth summit report liquid vitamin mineral supplement

Mens Moissanite Wedding Rings, or Is Moissanite a Mans Best Friend?

As mens wedding rings become more and more popular mens moissanite wedding rings become popular at an even faster rate. Wedding rings for men are here to stay and so are mens moissanite wedding rings.

What is moissanite I hear you ask? Moissanite is the newest jewelry stone which is taking the jewelry industry by storm. And whilst moissanite is popular amongst the women, mens moissanite wedding rings are taking off.

Moissanite is a naturally occurring crystal, or jewel, which was only discovered in 1893. It was originally found in tiny quantities in a meteorite which had fallen in the Arizona desert. It was discovered by doctor Henry Moissan, after whom it was named.

It exhibits many of the qualities of diamonds and looks identical to diamonds to all but a few of the most experienced jewellers. So identical in fact that sohisticated equipment is needed to distinguish it from diamonds. Moissanite even outperforms diamonds in most of the natural qualities for which diamonds are so renowned. Most importantly, it is much cheaper.

Moissanite is second only to diamond in hardness, and is harder than any other jewel. It does not scratch, fade or change color. It has more brilliance than diamonds or any other popular gemstone.

It occurs naturally on earth but only in tiny quantities so it was not until the late 20th century that it became available in sufficient quantities for jewelry making. This followed extensive research on moissanite and the discovery of a reliable method of making it in a lab to very high quality.

Whilst a new jewel in its own right it was immediately compared to diamonds due to it's high quality and much lower price. Now moissanite engagement rings are a hit amongst women, and mens moissanite wedding rings are following fast.

As a man does not generally wear an engagement ring his wedding ring may be the only piece of jewelry that he wears so mens moissanite wedding rings are designed to catch the eye, unlike womens wedding rings which are designed to complement the engagement ring rather than detract from it.

Many mens moissanite wedding rings are often set in either gold or two tone white gold/yellow gold. As moissanite is much cheaper than diamonds he has a choice of more stones and bigger ones, so often buys a ring with 2, 3, 4 or more stones in it. Moissanite is not graded in carat (karat) weight exactly like diamonds but it's comparable diamond carat value is usually offered so that buyers can see exactly how much stone they are getting for their money compared to buying a diamond.

For example it is very possible to buy mens moissanite wedding rings with a number of moissanite stones of 3 to 5 mm diameter of somewhere around 1.5 carats (diamond equivalent weight) for around $500 - $800. Or a single moissanite stone of 7 to 8 mm diameter.

Compare that price to buying the same ring with equivalent diamonds and you will be very pleasantly surprised. And your ring will look just as good, or better, than the equivalent diamond ring. And usually the modern man understands that money spent at the start of the relationship is money that is not available later on when the important things, like kids and a house, arrive.

So men, if you really want a wedding ring that shows off exactly who you are with style and sparkle, but don't want to spend so much money on it that it makes you uncomfortable, then a mens moissanite wedding ring has to be considered.

But which one? That's up to you.

Find out more about Mens Moissanite Wedding Rings, as well as Moissanite Engagement Rings and Loose Moissanite Stones at Peter's website, The Magic of Moissanite.

? 2005 Peter Crump.

Gardening and Flowers

Gardening is one of life's pleasures whether you grow flowers, vegetables or herbs; we look forward to the planting season. But whether you are new or seasoned gardener, it's important to remember a few basic things.

If you want to improve your landscaping then start with the basics. Your soil. Is your soil sandy, a rich black or dense with clay? The type of soil you have will determine what kind of plants you will purchase. Of course you can buy rich soil to supplement a soil deficient in nutrients and oxygen. You can also purchase or make your own beneficial mulch. If you are unsure about your soil, ask a local nursery. They can guide you in making the right choice for your garden.

Once you you've determined what type of soil you are dealing with then you can get down to designing your landscape. Step back and have a look at your yard and home. You need to look at several factors: Do you have children who will be playing in the yard? If so then keep that in mind when you are designing. You'll want to a lot a playing space for them that doesn't interfere with your design structure. Look at the color and line structure of your home. You'll want to accent it with greens and flowers. You can take a sterile looking house and transform it to a warm and inviting place. A house is an inanimate object and it's the live plants, flowers and trees gently swaying in the wind that breath life into an otherwise still object.

As you are looking at your home and yard, entertain the idea of combining plants, shrubs and flowers of different sizes, shades, shapes and colors. For example, you may want to plant a dark green border shrub that can be easily squared off with trimming and then plant in front of that a lighter green or variegated green broad leaf plant or a bed of begonias or marigolds. If you can't visualize what you want then I suggest getting some home and garden magazines or pictures of model homes to get an idea. Or you can even drive around the neibourhood to get your ideas. It pays to do your homework.

Another thing to consider when you are planning your garden is combining herbs with your flowers or shrubs. Not only do they have varied colors and shapes that can compliment your garden, you also have the benefit fresh herbs in your kitchen when you need it.

Part of the appeal for gardening is designing it and then making it happen. It is a rewarding and relaxing experience that continues throughout the years as you add to or change your garden as you please.

Enjoy!

Willie Jones

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. Thanks very much for reading this far. Please come and visit us at: http://www.artinspires.com/for an inspirational poster or two

"Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing. All winners receive a free framed print."

Easy Ways to Increase Your Houses Value

Before getting your house valuated think about the list below and if you should implement them to increase your house's value.

Clean up your house:
Clean your house thoroughly. By this I mean do everything humanly possible to cleanse your house. Clean the windows, the sink, vacuum the floor, scrub the toilet, take out the trash, make sure nothing appears to be in a sloppy mess.

Fix what can be seen before what can't:
Quite a few people believe that its important to work on the things you can see before the things you can't, this attracts more buyers. For example renovate the exterior before the interior before the creaky floor boards. If the house looks like a dump from the outside most people will not be willing to have a look around inside.

Seal the driveway:
Do you have a gravel driveway? Do weeds pop up, do you find yourself constantly raking gravel, do find that gravel manages to get into your house, do you get irritated by the loud noise of a car that's driving on it makes? It may be time to end these problems and increase your houses value by sealing your driveway.

Is the property secure?
People will tend to pay more for a house they feel safe in, so consider;

- Installing a burglar alarm

- Installing a fire alarm

- Installing security doors

- Installing secure and reliable locks

Do you need new spouting?
Spouting will be one of the first things an appraiser or buyer will notice when they look at your house. You do not want them to see rusted, dirty, broken spouting. Putting in new spouting will increase the value of your house and decrease the maintenance required.

Are your windows up to scratch?
Windows are a powerful tool in your home improvement arsenal. If your windows are not aesthetically appealing or are in an awful state consider double-glazed windows, although possibly a bit expensive, are a good improvement. They will provide your house with superior heat insulation and sound insulation. If a room isn't getting much light, consider enlarging the windows or putting in new ones. This will make the room a lot warmer and, "light and bright" which appraisers and buyer love.

Does the house need a power wash?
Unless you regularly clean your house with a scrubbing brush it will probably be a good idea to get your house power washed. Being inexpensive, this will help get rid of the grime, dirt, and any other disgusting build up on your house.

Temperature:
Curtains and windows will help with insulation but to really insulate your property you need to have a good insulator between walls such as fibreglass or foam. People will happily pay much more to be warm throughout the winter than spend the extra money on heating, so by doing this the value of your house can increase substantially.

If excess heat is an issue then consider installing an air conditioner. Again, people will always pay extra to feel comfortable.

Roofing:
Going back to the idea of "fix what can be seen before what can't", a roof improvement can be very beneficial to the value of your house. Firstly the roof needs to be cleaned, preferably power washed. If the roof is in that bad of a shape maybe a re-tiling is in order.

Things to think about before an open day.

-Make sure you have a plan and know what your doing on the day. Assign jobs to all family members or flat mates to get things done quicker in case there is a showing scheduled with short notice.

-Make sure everything smells nice and fresh, if you smoke do not smoke in your house for a few days before the auction. Open all the windows, use an air fresher if you have to.

-Get rid of all your pets for the day. They can be a nuisance especially if they are over friendly and may cause some allergic reactions.

-Your house should have a light and sunny atmosphere. Pull back all the curtains and blinds, turn lights if its dark or rainy.

-If you have the luxury of controlling the temperature of your house make sure the temperature is comfortable for all your guest.

-Clean your house thoroughly. By this I mean do everything humanly possible to cleanse your house. Clean the windows, the sink, vacuum the floor, scrub the toilet, take out the trash, make sure nothing appears to be in a sloppy mess.

-Leave the open home unless your do not have a real estate agent there. If you have to stay, don't let the buyers know your the seller and don't approach or smother them unless they come to you. Try to stay out of their way.

This article is owned by http://www.use-your-equity.com and written by John Whiteside. Learn more about real estate investing, and how to create and use the equity in your home! The original article can be found at http://www.use-your-equity.com/General.html

The Role of Statistics in Prospect Modeling

Identifying prospects has come a long way since the days of simple list buying. With the hype flying fast and furious, sometimes it's difficult to sort out truth from fiction and to put things in the proper perspective. Without worshipping buzzwords, however, two of the most important developments in recent years have been the rise of statistics and databases. These have allowed companies to create more accurate profiles of their prospects, even giving rise to the term "prospect modeling" itself. Let's see how these two developments have helped shape prospect modeling.

Types

With the creation of commercial databases of Census data in the late 1970's, the first easily-available customer demographics were born. Using these statistics allowed companies a high-level view of customers and their behavior. Coupling this with statistical analysees of that data, updating the data (with between Census polls and surveys), and bringing in other sources (such as driver's license records, courthouse records, and so forth) allowed for the classification of people into certain population strata, generally called types. Single mothers might be a type; new homeowners might be another type; residents of cities with a population over one million people might be another type. These types are as specific or as general as the data allows, although it is difficult to narrow down to prospects of a particular business without purchase data. Still, these statistics allow the establishment of certain types of customers and potential customers, providing that first pass at bringing prospects into focus.

Specificity

Because companies themselves have purchase data, they can use it to correlate general demographic data to provide detailed information about their customers and potential new customers. Additionally, they can pull together relevant data measurements and discard irrelevant ones, thus sharpening their focus further. In a nutshell, having statistics allows you to determine trends and customers in the abstract, while adding purchase data to the mix allows you to determine characteristics of customers in the specific ? your customers and potential customers. Thus statistics allow for a great deal of specificity in prospect modeling.

Location (Geodemographic Statistics)

Yet another way that statistics can aid in modeling prospects is through geodemographic data; this data correlates Census and commercial data with geography, identifying where current customers and likely new customers reside, work, or even shop. This type of information may be more useful than it first appears. For instance, if you knew that likely customers lived in the Northeastern U.S, as opposed to the Midwest, you might be able to play off of regional identification to more effectively market your wares. Or if you knew that your customers shopped in large urban centers, but lived in the nearby suburbs, or dwelled primarily in zip code 32901, then you have more clues about them which can help you model new prospects even more efficiently. Why is that? New prospects have much in common with current customers, and the more you know your current customers, the more you will know your future customers.

Conclusion

Without the widespread use of databases and statistics, prospect modeling could not exist. These developments have created this technique and serve as its anchor points. Understanding what they do can allow you to craft more accurate customer profiles, which can in turn supercharge your prospect models, and then lead to even more sales.

Catenate, LLC is a web-based provider of detailed easy-to-use targeted geodemographic reports, through the Catosphere (http://www.catosphere.com) and related marketing services.

http://www.catosphere.com Wendy Cobrda, CEO

Are You Losing Customers Because of Typos?

Overlooking simple steps such as proofreading and grammar can affect the credibility of your website. How are you protecting yourself?

A potential customer on the internet has a disadvantage over a customer walking into a brick and mortar store. Whereas the physical store has the credibility of location, physical presence (you can find them if there's a problem) as well as community reputation, a customer on the internet can only rely on your words to determine if they can trust you or your services. To do so they judge the credibility of a site by a variety of criteria.

Do Customers Really Care?

A Consumer Report by WebWatch looked at the factors that influence a person's opinion of the credibility of various websites. The report indicated that although the look of a site had the most influence on a visitor, the tone of writing and functionality of the site also affected the visitor's opinion of whether a site was credible or not.

Simple steps such as providing clear information, checking that links are working, using proper grammar and checking for typos are often overlooked in the excitement of building a website or writing a sales letter and driving traffic to it. Although the site might look wonderful, what impression is left on the customer when links are dead and the copy is poorly written or hard to follow?

It's Easy to Fix

By reviewing your site from the viewpoint of a customer, ask yourself; is the information is easy to understand? Do the relevant links work? And is the navigation of the site easy to follow? Since website surfers are known for short attention spans, and marketers spend much time and effort getting them to a website, you do not want them to leave because of avoidable mistakes.

Easy reading also relates to simple color schemes. Black print on a white background is almost always the best choice. Although funky or trendy colors may work well for attention, they can cause strain to the eyes of the viewer when used for copy. Save the color for other areas.

Also choose easy to read fonts like Arial, Times New Roman etc. Fancy fonts are difficult to read and may be distorted on different browsers.

Get an Outsider's Viewpoint

Naturally, it is difficult to be completely objective about our own work, so ask a friend or family member to check things out for you. If they are similar to your target market, even better. Don't ask someone who will not be honest. Remember, your business depends on your contact with customers. It is better to see where your copy needs improvement from the beginning than to miss out on customers who were put off because of mistakes, bad links or unclear information.

If you do not have someone who can help you, you can also hire the services of a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are available for many specialties, as well as general business needs such as proofreading.

Whichever you choose, do take pride in your writing and show respect of your customer's time and intelligence by providing the best information you can for them.

Shannon Emmanuel owns and operates 'Your Virtual Assistant'. Great service and reasonable rates for the small business owner: http://www.assistant-for-hire.com

Breast Augmentation ? Cosmetic Surgery

Breast Augmentation ? Cosmetic Surgery

How it's performed:
Breast surgery depends mostly on the choice of implant, position and methods of how the implant will be inserted. The common areas of implant insertion are through the areola, under the crease of the breast or under the armpit. The doctor then takes great caution to minimize the amount of visible scarring caused by the insertion point in an attempt to create the most aesthetically pleasing figure.

The surgeon will then attempt to create an area of breast tissue to insert the implant. This can be done directly behind the tissue or below the chest muscle. Both methods have advantages so be sure to discuss these with your surgeon before your operation.

In general, these surgeries take around one to two hours. After the operation is complete, medical stitches seal any incisions together and are further reinforced with antiseptic tape. Bandages help the breast conform to their new shape and helps increase the healing time.

Recovery:
The day after surgery generally leaves most women feeling tired, but usually are rested and feeling better by day three. Most of this pain can be managed by prescription medication given to you by the doctor after surgery. Persistent pain might be an early sign of complications.

After a few days the gauze bandages come off which will require the patient to wear a special support bra. The doctor will recommend the length of time to wear it for, as it helps conform the breasts to their new shape. A common side effect of the surgery is a burning sensation around the nipples for a few weeks, but should subside shortly after. Stitches are removed around 10 days after the operation but the swelling usually takes around 5 weeks to disappear.

Most women can return to work within a few days although physical activity and exercise should not be performed for three to four weeks. Scars will begin to fade after six weeks but will never disappear completely.

To learn more about breast augmentation please visit our cosmetic surgery resource site at http://www.resource4cosmeticsurgery.com This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.

Break In With Fillers: The Best Market For New Writers

by: Shelley Wake
Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't
go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked
opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best
opportunities for new writers.

Fillers Are In Demand

I've spoken to hundreds of editors and been told over and over again that
fillers are the one thing they never get enough of. Most publications tend
to publish more freelance fillers than they do freelance articles. Yet,
they often receive 100 times more articles than fillers.

This is a gap in the freelance market that you can take advantage of.

Fillers are a Great Place to Get Started

Many publications are careful about publishing feature articles from
writers they don't know. Even if your article is good, an editor might
decide not to publish you because they don't know you as a writer. This is
especially true if you don't have a lot of experience or any clips.

But even without experience or clips, most editors will consider a filler.
In fact, many editors treat writing fillers as the testing ground to see
if a writer can be relied on to write feature articles.

Here's what one editor had to say about fillers:

"One of the best ways to break in is to write fillers. It gives me a
chance to start to build a relationship with a writer and see that I can
trust them. Of all the freelancers I work with, over half started out
writing fillers." - Margaret, Magazine Editor

So not only can writing fillers get you some clips, it also has the
potential to turn into a long-term writing opportunity. Consider fillers a
stepping stone to much bigger things.

The Smart Way to Write on Spec

Fillers are almost always submitted on spec. This means that you avoid the
problem of having to query the publication and sell yourself as a writer,
because your filler is doing the work for you and showing the editor your
writing skill.

The big argument against writing on spec is that you spend your time
writing pieces that might never sell. Fillers reduce this problem because
they are short and take less time to write. So even if your filler doesn't
sell, you haven't wasted as much time as you would have on a longer
feature article. Fillers are also more flexible, with few publications
having set guidelines for fillers. This means that a filler will often be
suitable for more than market. So if it gets rejected once, it's not a
waste of time. You can just send it to a new market, often without having
to make any changes.

Fillers Rely on Information, Not Writer Qualifications

Fillers usually rely on information, not on the writer's qualifications.

This means that you don't have to sell yourself when you submit fillers.
Instead, the information you put in the filler sells it for you.

This makes fillers a perfect option for writers lacking the experience or
clips to sell themselves to an editor.

You Can Write a Lot of Them

Since fillers are short, you can write a lot of them and submit a lot of
them. You could literally have hundreds of pieces out in the market for
consideration in a short time. And if you write them well, you could have
a lot of them published in a very short time. That means you can build a
list of clips fast.

And one other benefit is that magazines don't have as limited a space for
fillers as they do for feature articles. So if your filler gets accepted,
it's likely to get published fast. The same isn't true for feature
articles, where an accepted article will often be scheduled for an issue a
year or two away.

That's one more good reason why fillers are a great way to build clips
fast. Once you've got the clips, then you have a few more options. Until
then, fillers are a great place to start.

And one final tip. Once you have the clips and start moving into feature
articles, don't forget about fillers. As you're researching a feature,
take note of interesting facts, trivia, or anecdotes you come across.
These can make fillers and be an added bonus, bringing in some extra cash
and some extra clips.

About The Author

Shelley Wake is the author of "Getting Published Without Clips." This
practical no-nonsense guide shows writers exactly what to do to break into
freelance writing. Packed with inside information, proven methods, hidden
markets, and more, it's successfully launched hundreds of freelance
careers. Link: http://www.writingstuff.com/fs02m.html